Obituary for Rita Shortill (Boyle)
On Sunday, June 19th, 2022, Rita Helen Shortill passed away peacefully at the age of 79, surrounded by her loving family. Rita was born on January 11th, 1943 to Francis and Helen (Zyzniewski) Boyle in Philadelphia, PA. One of eight children, Rita loved her big family and always had a great story about growing up in the city. As a child, she cherished her summers visiting her aunts in the seaside town of Cape May, NJ. She graduated from Cardinal Dougherty High School in 1961 and received her Nursing Diploma from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in 1966.
She enrolled in the U.S. Army Nurse Corp., serving as a 1st Lieutenant, and began training for a deployment to Vietnam. However, during her training at Ft. Lewis, WA, she met fellow Officer James Shortill, whom she married on January 22, 1968, and received an honorable discharge after discovering she was pregnant with the first of her five children.
In 1974, she and Jim bought a house on Spruce Drive in Dover, NH, where Rita happily lived for the next 48 years. Rita was a strong advocate for safety and in the late 70s, she successfully worked with the city to have sidewalks installed on Back River Road so children could walk safely to the nearby elementary school. From 1979 to 1987, she worked at Wentworth Douglass Hospital as a Registered Nurse in the Cardiac Telemetry Unit, and then as a Community Support Programs Nurse at Strafford Guidance Center.
An avid reader, Rita loved reading the newspaper every day and had a passion for learning new things. In 1999, at the age of 56, she went back to school and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Science from the University of New Hampshire’s College of Lifelong Learning. Rita continued her work in nursing at several nursing homes until her well-deserved retirement in 2003.
Rita was preceded in death by five of her siblings and her son, Michael Shortill. She is survived by her children, Ellen Shortill of Washington, D.C., James Shortill and his wife Susan, of North Berwick, ME, Karen Lyons and her husband Patrick, of Portsmouth, NH, Ryan Shortill of San Diego, CA, and their father, James Shortill of Venice, FL, as well as her brothers, Tom Boyle of AZ and Jim Boyle of CO. She has many nieces and nephews and eleven beloved grandchildren that she adored with all her heart (Lily, Aiden, Parker, John, Leo, Michael, Delaney, Luke, Owen, Calliope, and Jasper.)
Rita will be remembered for her giving spirit, her unmatched “gift for gab,” her delicious deviled eggs and pineapple-upside-down cake, and her sincere kind-heartedness and compassion for everyone. Her family cannot imagine a world without her.
A funeral service will be held on Thursday, June 30th at 11 am at Saint Joseph’s Church at 150 Central Ave. in Dover, NH. There will be a viewing beforehand from 9 am to 10:30 am at Wiggen-Purdy Funeral Home at 655 Central Ave. in Dover. Flowers may be sent to the funeral home and donations may be sent to Friends of the Hyder Family Hospice House.
The family will host a reception following services (12:30pm – 3:30 pm), at Newick’s Lobster House, 431 Dover Point Road, Dover NH.
She enrolled in the U.S. Army Nurse Corp., serving as a 1st Lieutenant, and began training for a deployment to Vietnam. However, during her training at Ft. Lewis, WA, she met fellow Officer James Shortill, whom she married on January 22, 1968, and received an honorable discharge after discovering she was pregnant with the first of her five children.
In 1974, she and Jim bought a house on Spruce Drive in Dover, NH, where Rita happily lived for the next 48 years. Rita was a strong advocate for safety and in the late 70s, she successfully worked with the city to have sidewalks installed on Back River Road so children could walk safely to the nearby elementary school. From 1979 to 1987, she worked at Wentworth Douglass Hospital as a Registered Nurse in the Cardiac Telemetry Unit, and then as a Community Support Programs Nurse at Strafford Guidance Center.
An avid reader, Rita loved reading the newspaper every day and had a passion for learning new things. In 1999, at the age of 56, she went back to school and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Science from the University of New Hampshire’s College of Lifelong Learning. Rita continued her work in nursing at several nursing homes until her well-deserved retirement in 2003.
Rita was preceded in death by five of her siblings and her son, Michael Shortill. She is survived by her children, Ellen Shortill of Washington, D.C., James Shortill and his wife Susan, of North Berwick, ME, Karen Lyons and her husband Patrick, of Portsmouth, NH, Ryan Shortill of San Diego, CA, and their father, James Shortill of Venice, FL, as well as her brothers, Tom Boyle of AZ and Jim Boyle of CO. She has many nieces and nephews and eleven beloved grandchildren that she adored with all her heart (Lily, Aiden, Parker, John, Leo, Michael, Delaney, Luke, Owen, Calliope, and Jasper.)
Rita will be remembered for her giving spirit, her unmatched “gift for gab,” her delicious deviled eggs and pineapple-upside-down cake, and her sincere kind-heartedness and compassion for everyone. Her family cannot imagine a world without her.
A funeral service will be held on Thursday, June 30th at 11 am at Saint Joseph’s Church at 150 Central Ave. in Dover, NH. There will be a viewing beforehand from 9 am to 10:30 am at Wiggen-Purdy Funeral Home at 655 Central Ave. in Dover. Flowers may be sent to the funeral home and donations may be sent to Friends of the Hyder Family Hospice House.
The family will host a reception following services (12:30pm – 3:30 pm), at Newick’s Lobster House, 431 Dover Point Road, Dover NH.